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Food irradiation plant coming to Chicago!

Author

Mark A.

Date Created

28 Mar 2001

Date Edited

28 Mar 2001 09:55:36 PM

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Current rating: 0

SureBeam announced this week that it will build a food irradiation facility in Chicago. This comes just a month after SteriGenics announced it would start food irradiation in Schaumburg. Tell your grocery store that you don't want irradiated foods!

The SureBeam Corporation announced on 3/27/01 that it will build a new food irradiation facility in Chicago. (Press release at www.surebeamcorp.com/pressreleases/2001/032701_chicago.html) Just weeks ago, SteriGenics announced it would start irradiating beef and poultry in its Schaumburg facility, which is about one mile from Woodfield Mall. This Schaumburg facility will use nuclear waste from the nuclear power and/or nuclear weapons industries. According to the NRC, there were 45 accidents just from 1974-89 in the industry. An contamination accident at a SteriGenics facilty in Decatur, GA in 1988 resulted in plant workers tracking radioactivity into their homes and cars, and a $47 million taxpayer-funded cleanup.

Food irradiation destroys nutrients in food, kills harmful AND helpful bacteria, can change the taste and smell of foods. Irradiation is a dangerous quick-fix solution to try to deal with the dirty and dangerous meat products that come from the industrial meat industry and unsanitary food handling throughout the industry.

For more information contact the Illinois Food Safety Coalition at (312) 670-2801. Please contact your grocery store and tell them that you don't want irradiated meats or other foods! For more info go to www.edgeupgreens.org/irrad.html